#TWW creator

[twwpress]

Creator Spotlight: Week 3

Welcome back to our TWW fandom Creator Spotlight! For every spotlight, we’ll ask each featured creator the same ten questions as well as questions submitted by you. This week, we’re chatting with @sinistercherubs on twitter // thababes on ao3.

All answers come directly from Connor, who creates gorgeous edits and also writes fic! Let’s dive in:

1) What are your top 5 desert island TWW fics?

the still feels good series by thotsandfeelings (also, affectionately known as yale au) https://archiveofourown.org/series/1895503

gOD. What’s not to love about this series? It brings me such great memories of FINALLY being able to get into the tag after I finished the show in October 2020. It’s a classic for the “renaissance” of tww fics that came flying in.

aftershock by greatesheights https://archiveofourown.org/works/4786607/chapters/10952567

I know this was just recommended by aleena, but it bears repeating. It’s absolutely a must for everyone’s post noel watch and also for anyone who loves general senior staff.

 I fall apart (and i thought i was so smart) by roseyposeypie https://archiveofourown.org/works/30626918/chapters/75559058 

Oohhh, the journey this was. I have Rosie and this fic to thank for most of the very close fandom friendships I formed from us spiraling and speculating about this story for months.

where the oleander grows by kairach https://archiveofourown.org/works/27211249/chapters/66468748

Cue me just yelling “THE FLOWER FIC!” I’m pretty sure I have recommended this to absolutely everyone that’s watched the show in the past 2 years lmao. It’s about the found family

 nothin’ like you by sam_writes_fics https://archiveofourown.org/works/40285125/chapters/100907319

My poor samjosh summer camp au heart. This fics makes me muppet scream after every single line. Also background cjtoby, my beloved. The cutest concept ever. 

2) Do you have a favorite character to write/edit? Favorite ship(s) to write/edit? Are there characters or ships you'd like to write/edit more of?

Joshua…I think for both? Ballet AU has fortunately let me get a chance to explore writing all of them, so that’s been fun! I like to write up lots of dialogue and meta, but to actually play with them for real is interesting. I’ve only “publicly” written Josh’s POV, so time will tell if I ever get comfortable enough to move on to someone else. Editing Josh/Brad is also always a hoot. Obviously, editing j/d is a good time, but i do like the challenge of when i get the inspo to edit cjtoby, those edits end up being a lot more heartbreaking. I loooove doing friendship edits and writing about those relationships as well, (chaos twins !!!) but im looking forward to doing some studio 60 edits soon. 

 3) Tell us about your creative process (setup/location? Night or day? Snacks/beverages? Computer/phone/notebook? Music or silence? Anything else you want to share is welcome!)

I like to call it “going into my edit hole” where I will clip/airdrop, edit, color, and then post all in the same sitting. I do like to outline edits (and now fics) on my notes app because most of my outlining and planning happens from 6am-2pm when I’m not home. This usually ends up being why I start editing at 7pm and finishing 3 hours later. Most edits usually take me 3 hours from beginning to end if I have it really thought out. For edits, I do like to be home alone or locked in my room to really pay attention to the music and voice overs. I have a Ballet AU playlist that I usually play while writing that. 

 4) What video editing/writing advice do you have for others who may be reading this?

This is for editing, but practice practice practice?? I made 40 tww edits in 2021 and you can definitely see when I started to get more comfortable with coloring/lighting this hell show. Voice overs were also kinda tricky for a bit, but I just played more and more with it for different edits, and you start to see what you like and what works. I think working with the same clips and show for so long provided something to work up to. My writing advice would be to open up google docs, advice that I myself should take ;) 

5) From where do you usually draw your inspiration? (Other forms of media, music, tropes, etc?)

MUSIC!!! For about 5 years, I made gifs almost everyday for Tumblr (follow me at @karenandthababes if ya want!) and most were lyric sets. Gifs were my alternative for not having the proper programs back then for edits. I saw these characters and ships through music. Music either puts choreography in my head or it flows out an edit lol 

 6) What is the fic/edit you've written/created that you're most proud of and why?

I’m still really proud of having an almost 9k unfinished fic (i’m so sorry) published? Ballet AU started as a joke and ended up being REAL, and that freaks me out. The noel edit to Ave Maria is one I think I’m still most proud of from a creative standpoint? It wasn’t one i had planned AT ALL, came out of nowhere and ended up doing really well and hurting a lot of people, which really is my biggest joy hahaha. 

 7) What's the fic trope/concept/AU you'd read 1000 of? What's the fic trope/concept/AU you'd write 1000 of? And/or, are there any editing tropes/artists/themes you can't get enough of?

I’m team angst (derogatory) but I love hurt/comfort. (which this show gives you plenty of reasons for it) I love reunions. I love found family. I love people feeling and being loved! For edits, I’m back to just adoring a good friendship edit. Nothing beats just seeing some of these duos or trios be absolute ding dongs. 

 8) Is there anything you'd like to try writing-wise/video editing-wise that you haven't yet?

I would love to try to write my angst feelings and hcs down for tww. I’ve been really proud of stuff I wrote for another fandom and OCs that were really DARK, but I just won’t have that chance for that in ballet au (which I think people would be grateful for). 

 9) What's your go-to Starbucks/coffee shop/other drink order?

lavender oat milk iced coffee wink wink (I also swing for hazelnut most of the time)

10) Do you have any current projects you'd like to promote or anything upcoming you'd like to tell us about?

Ballet AU!!! There’s a bunch of surprises coming in ACT 2 that I think a lot of people that haven't caught up or started yet would really enjoy, still saving quite a few tags for secret plot lines. There’s definitely more edits coming :) 

Submitted questions:

From @sam_writes_fics: one song you really want to make an edit to? how long have you been making edits?

Pretty much everything on my j/d playlist lol. I think there’s just so many songs to pick from at this point for any character dynamic and ship that now it’s just when inspiration really hits. I’ve been making fandom edits since 2019, but my first tww edit was in 2021. 

From @jessbakescakes: What do you think is the easiest part of editing? The most difficult part? What’s the one thing you know now that you wish you knew when you started?

The easiest is getting the concept most of the time? Usually, it’s a song that hits my shuffle that I never thought of using and then suddenly my brain is just providing the scenes or vibes for me. After an hour of repeats, it’s an edit. The most difficult part for me usually is starting. The program I specifically use (InShot on IOS) doesn’t let you drop and move things around like working on a desktop program would, so if my beginning doesn’t work like I wanted it to but I know how my middle and end works, I just have to keep at it until I find a way that works lol. 

From @jessbakescakes: What’s the one thing you know now that you wish you knew when you started?

This is a hard question. I went to school for multimedia in high school and focused on the post production of whatever we were making that week, so it’s less of what I wish I knew and more of what I wish I had. Studying graphic design in college threw me off from my video editing, so finding a way to just do it again, even on this level, is great.

From @claudiasjeans: what’s your fave tww rarepair? what got you into fandom, either editing or writing? how did you get exposed to tww?

For a rarepair, I’ll probably say andy/cj/toby and cj/kate? I’m a huge multishipper, so my end point is always a poly relationship lmao. I think samjosh might be too popular to be a rarepair, but I’ll put that down just in case. God, if we want to get real deep, my fandom writing background comes from twilight roleplay when i was a tiny teen. It wasn’t fic, but it was definitely years of writing. Gifs led to edits. Roselle (mskimwexler) and Di (onourownside) pulled me into watching tww completely blind and it was a magical time. I just celebrated my 2 year anniversary! 

From @kennysroys: Since you’re an editor (a great one at that!) what scene or scenes from the show do you think are well edited?

What a compliment :’) Noel as a whole, jfc. It’s the only episode of it’s kind and nothing can beat that Emmy winning masterpiece. I think that’s what was so fun about editing noel, because you have to work a little bit harder with the therapy scenes because it’s already edited so well. I would love to add that I have a love/hate with editing the cold kiss hahaha. I have at one point even tried to clip the matching shots together to make longer kisses and no dice!! The cold kiss is filmed and edited like an fandom edit, the 360 is amazing for the drama of editing, but sometimes you just WISH we got some more transition type single camera kisses lmao 

From @joshatella: When did you make your first edit/how did you start editing?

I posted the Humble Josh edit Christmas Day 2020, but I think my first twitter edits were Star Wars related from 2019. I just know Bea (schiff0rd) and I both started our tww edit journey around the same time, and it’s been really fine to work back and forth with her. Remi (piketrickfoots) was a godsend and actually clipped all of j/d for us back when it was still on Netflix, so without her and my season files, there’s no way I would have been able to edit at the quantity I was last year. The Humble edit and the Silver Fox Bradley edit were my firsts, which led to the red dress edit. The rest is history lol

Lightning round from @S4MWILSON: fave fic you wrote ? fave edit you made ? would you ever make an edit to a fic ? what app/software do u think is best for editing ? fave ship you have yet to write ? most underrated tww dynamic ?

I know I’ve talked about Ballet AU a lot, so I’m gonna say you know that i'm fallin’ was a really fun start to my tww fic journey. Ofc my first published fic was santos 3, which i would really love to do a little ficlet sequel to soon. The chaos twins or santos 3 edits i hold very dear to my heart, but the he's the man edit for josh was my real big break into making things as a whole I was really happy with. We’ve actually discussed doing a fic/edit/art collab event, so maybe soon! This is really a personal preference for me who’s used every editing software besides Vegas, but I prefer editing fancams on my phone. I use InShot for general editing and Prequel for coloring. I was originally trained with ​​Premiere Pro, but anyone that’s used that program knows it’s the devil. I would love to write some cjtoby at length. As the one of the spokespersons for underrated tww dynamics, I could list for hours, but any dynamic with Abbey involving a member of the senior staff is so special to me.

Thanks again, Connor!

If you’re interested in being featured for a future spotlight, please drop us a line here on tumblr, on twitter, or email [email protected].

xx,

What’s next?

#the west wing #tww #tww fandom #tww edits #tww fancam #tww creator #creator q & a #tww fic recs #josh lyman #sam seaborn #donna moss #cj cregg #andy wyatt #toby zeigler #kate harper #abbey bartlet #joshdonna #samjosh #cjtoby #kate x cj #cj x toby x andy #creator spotlight

[meret118]

Please Watch The Diplomat!

Netflix decides if they are going to renew a show based on how many people watch all episodes the first month it's on. If you liked The West Wing, you will like this too! In fact, I think it's better than TWW, because it's set more in the real world, and doesn't contain sorkin's misogyny. Plus, a woman is the main character! The creator worked on TWW and Homeland, and this show combines the best elements of each.

Kate is a career diplomat who was working on getting people who helped the US out of Afghanistan, particularly women. She's ordered by the Biden stand in president, played by Micheal McKean, to take the appointment of ambassador to the UK, a post normally given as a reward to powerful donors, and one requiring speeches and shaking hands more often than actual work. She's determined to make a difference while there however.

Her marriage to Hal, a former ambassador and high profile diplomat in his own right, is ending(?), but he's going with her for the first few weeks while she gets up to speed for PR purposes and support. They're both having trouble in this switch of roles as they try to define new boundaries.

Their relationship is entertainingly codependent and complex. They have terrific chemistry, and are totally believable as a long time couple who love each other, but don't know if that's enough anymore.

Speaking of chemistry, Austin Dennison is the Foreign Secretary who's far more qualified to be PM than the blowhard BoJo stand in he serves. He wants to trust Kate and work with her toward common goals, but the Iraq war and more has damaged US/UK relations.

Stuart Hayford is Kate's Deputy Chief of Mission, a job Kate's more used to doing herself, and is having trouble relinquishing. He's also receiving orders about Kate from the WH Chief of Staff.

Stuart is in a secret relationship with CIA Station Chief Eidra Park. She's used to dealing with secrets, but some of the ones he's keeping may be more than their bond can tolerate. She expects Kate to be the typical political appointee, and has to rapidly adjust her opinion.

The center of the show, and where it shines, is its focus on the politics of the world we live in as the characters deal with terrorism, intrigue, corruption, and political text and subtext. The few times the show stumbles is when it forgets that, and focuses on the relationships too much. That's rare though, and the show normally does a good job of integrating both into an engrossing whole.

No country is presented as perfect, and if there are heroes they're more likely to be the unsung career foreign service employees more often solving problems in spite of elected officials and political appointees rather than because of them. I highly recommend it!

ETA: The final episode ends in a cliffhanger. It didn't bother me, especially since the outcome seemed obvious to me, but I wanted to mention it.

ETA 2 - It's been renewed for a 2nd season! Yay! :)

ETA 3 : I'm so glad people watched it. I'm excited to see season 2. :)

#The diplomat #Tv

[onekisstotakewithme]

Tell People About Your WIPs

make a list of all your WIPs with a brief description of each and then people can ask you questions about them and then tag other people.

tagged by the creator of this game, @mihrsuri, and will in turn say 'anyone who wants to, feel free' but specifically of the westie besties Lil didn't tag, I'm yelling at @claudiajcregg 💜 I've been agonizing over having nothing to publish for ages now 😭

Currently Active:

Close to the Heart, aka MASH noir AU where Hawkeye is still a doctor, and Peg comes to him wanting him to kill her husband.

the west wing post-canon wedding: CJ and Danny try and make it work after CJ decides to stay in the WH, can't make it work, break up... all of which is backstory to the two of them reuniting at Charlie and Zoey's wedding a few months later... and going from there

the "BJ accidentally follows Hawkeye to a gay meet up, learns some things" WIP that I have been agonizing over.

the valentine's day tww discord prompt fulfillment (I know I'm not in the discord but humour me, i did the christmas exchange) that starts during "Manchester".

Things that Should be Active (but Aren't)

the prompt fulfillment for the Josh/Donna Rom-Com exchange in which I Romcomify "Inauguration: Over There" (I have words written for it, but not many. that was a busy week lol.)

President!CJ - you know the drill. I keep calling it president!CJ but the actual name should be "CJ runs for President and Ally rambles her ass off trying to make it happen". Anyone looking for a full time volunteer job as my research assistant to make this story happy, apply within.

The Requiem First Time Smut - it's six thousand words long and contains only one orgasm so far. aka the wednesday night where CJ shows up and they 'don't reallly talk' (except nobody is naked yet because they can't stop fucking talking!)

Random WIPs that can't even be considered in the same realm as active, yes i'm as annoyed about it as everyone else.

tww plane crash au - on the way back from a summit in Japan, AF1 crashes on a small island in the South Pacific. This project is my baby but alas. Featuring bioluminescence, sex cabanas and copious amounts of Repentance.

sperm donor AU - canon divergent in s5 of tww, after slow news day et al, where CJ starts seriously thinking about her life post-administration... and having a kid. Coincidentally, Danny comes back into her life around the same time.

mash triad ski au - BJ and Peg go on vacation over Christmas of 1998, and meet another skiier when they all get trapped on a chair lift together 😉

triad wedding - I include this on every list (sigh) just because a whole draft exists, it just needs to be burned to the ground, chopped up with a machete and started from scratch and I burned out hard wriitng draft one. Anyway, final part of the first "arc" of Home verse. BJ, Peg and Hawkeye get 'married'.

Ambassador Spock - genuinely don't think I've touched this since 2021 but. Kirk is still captain of the Enterprise, charged with bringing the Vulcan ambassadors (Sarek and his son Spock) to a summit, "Journey to Babel" style only with more Spirk.

#tww #m*a*s*h #wip wednesday #(but make it thursday)

[twwpride]

TWW Pride is intended to encourage creation of queer fanworks and help to form community and support for queer creators in The West Wing fandom.

The first The West Wing Pride Week will begin on Sunday, September 17th, 2023 and run for seven days! Any fanwork posted within these dates and tagged with #twwpride23 or included in our Ao3 Collection will be included as part of the event. At the end of every day, we’ll be posting round-ups of everything created, in addition to an end-of-week masterpost. Anyone who participates in all seven days of Pride Week will be added to our Hall of Fame!

Event Info & Guidelines

For Pride Week, two prompts will be provided per day. These prompts are primarily intended to generate inspiration, so feel free to use one, both, or neither, and in whatever order or combination you want!

If you do choose to follow the prompts, they will be filed under whatever day(s) their prompts fall under for easy reference. If you post on Tumblr, don’t forget to tag your work with #twwpride23 - any tagged posts will be reblogged unless otherwise requested.

The prompt list will be reposted weekly as we count down to the beginning of the event. During Pride Week, prompt reminders will be posted at the beginning of each day, and round-ups will be posted at midnight EST.

In order to keep TWW Pride accessible to everyone, we request that you add alt-text or an image description to any visuals.

This information, as well as a plaintext version of the prompts list, can be found on our desktop site here.

FAQ

What do you consider a queer fanwork?

Whatever you consider to be queer - and in whatever form (fic, poetry, gifs, edits, art, etc) - so do we. This is an inclusionary event, and here will be no policing of identity or creation. While any maturity rating is welcome, all we ask is that content is appropriately tagged for its platform (AO3 or Tumblr).

Do I have to wait until the week begins to start writing/drawing/editing?

You can begin creating as soon as you’re ready, but only content posted during the week will be counted for archival purposes.

How closely do I have to follow the prompts?

The prompts are inspirational, not compulsory. Any queer fanwork is welcome this week, regardless of if they fit into the prompts!

How do I make sure you can find my work when I post it?

If you’re posting on tumblr, be sure to use the tag #twwpride23 so we can reblog and promote it! On Ao3, you can find The West Wing Pride Week collection here!

A question we missed? Ask us right here!

#the west wing #tww #tww fic #west wing fanfic #twwpride23 #josh lyman #donna moss #sam seaborn #cj cregg #toby ziegler #image description in alt #please boost and share!

[heathtrash]

The gifts are finally revealed!!

we now have seven wonderful gifts here from our diligent creators! remember to keep your identities secret if you contributed, since these will all be revealed next week on the 25th December! feel free to join in guessing who has created each work 👀

Through the Years We All Will Be Together (If the Fates Allow) by Anonymous for Hydrophius @hydr0phius

Through the Years We All Will Be Together (If the Fates Allow) The 5 Times Hecate’s Eyes Glowed (and the One Time Pippa was Actually Scared) Or Alternatively, The Life and Times of Hecate Hardbroom: the Happy Version (in which there is minimal trauma).

Like A Dream by Anonymous for heathtrash @heathtrash

Constance and Lynne enjoy a midnight stroll to and from the greenhouse.

Some Cheeses for us Meeces by Anonymous for Llavender_Llama

Hecate wants to spent Yule alone with Pippa, but Pippa's scheduled a party, and she doesn't want to be a Scrooge. TWW December Events: Day 20 Preparation, Scrooge, Guests. Secret Santa Gift for Llavender_Llama. Hicsqueak one-shot.

A Castle for Christmas by Anonymous for hecateandhoney (LiveLoveLikeMe) @hecateandhoney

After an unfortunately timed emergency in their flat, Julie and Mildred have to find somewhere else to spend Christmas. Hecate, their unwilling host, has to confront her conflicting feelings about Julie Hubble head-on while attempting to keep both Hubbles out of trouble.

Be weary of the ways of the world by Anonymous for SongsfromtheSouth @denormadesmond

Just when she thought she would be spending the end of the year alone in her inn, Hecate gets an unexpected pink-clad guest...

Hicsqueak's Cozy Winter Cabin by Anonymous for Marileyna

(art!)

Winter Witches [Fanart] by Anonymous for Wobbel

(art!)

#the worst witch #tww december prompts #tww gift exchange #if i didn't tag you on tumblr i'm SO sorry i've forgotten/don't know your username so just reply with who you are #this is SO exciting

[callixton]

i do still idly think abt organizing a pride tww event bc like. there are wonderful queer writers in the fandom who are, in my experience, wildly undersupported in comparison to het writers which like. isn’t even criticism the way it would be two years ago bc i see a lot of the people who write now and i have nothing but love for them but. at the same time i wish that the queer creators in this fandom were given a greater sense of explicit support and community

#i’m not active in the fandom anymore obv but like. at this point that is largely bc the fandom is not nearly as active as it was in general #there are queer writers in this fandom who have had a dramatic influence on me and they deserve more yknow #there are people who could be publishing the same thing wonderful shit today but are lacking the support to do it #granted i don’t want to speak out of my ass either bc i’m Not currently active but. i think i have enough connections that i would notice #- if the contrary were true #and not to be like . in this climate. but Yes in this climate given tww is inherently a political show #ted talks #the west wing

[oldshrewsburyian]

yes to all of this! I agree that there's not a perfect comparison to the west wing (although iirc the Diplomat's creator did work on the non-sorkin seasons of tww?) but maybe it's a bit of a wild cross between the west wing and the thick of it (satirical movie by armando iannucci about uk and us politicos failing to stop the iraq war?) - i must also say that Stuart and Eidra took a minute to grow on me, but they did, and I was in for Austin ever since that garden scene where she blurts out (1/2)

(2/2) "are you saying you like me?" like that CHEMISTRY! on the other hand, I found both Kate's reaction to Hal's kidnapping endlessly endearing, as well as Hal's complete inability to go for anyone but his wife. Genuinely compelling love triangle, much to consider. (maybe a little Team Austin due to Hal's Afghanistan stuff, but idk!) Ultimately, I did find the final twist to be *very* interesting and way different than most US foreign relations thrillers. the call's coming from inside the house

Oh, I always have a blast with Iannucci (but I'm only familiar with The Thick of It as a hilarious and profane TV show with Peter Capaldi.) His political observations are razor-sharp but I tend to think of his satire as deliberately flamboyant, even picaresque.

But to The Diplomat: I agree that it's very compelling to make the narrative one in which the vast political bureaucracy on both sides of the Atlantic, glacial except in moving to protect its own stability, is simultaneously the machinery that our protagonists have to use, and that which armors and upholds the antagonists. ...Which, when I put it like that, sounds really depressing. But it feels, to me, like a show that is fundamentally optimistic about the moral and political value of decency, even if also providing at least an appearance of realism about its limitations.

#the diplomat 2023 #the diplomat #asks and answers

[thewinchesterclowncar]

Hey there! Welcome to The Clown Car!

The Clown Car is here to support all The Winchester Way Discord server creatives. 

Whether you make amazing gifs or edits, create worlds with your words, use your enviable talents to immortalize your favs in one of a multitude of art mediums, or write incredible meta -  we want to see your work, we want to share your work, we want to shower your work with love!

While TWW is mainly focused on Supernatural and The Winchesters, all fandoms are welcome here. 

All works will be tagged and rated appropriately.

Your work can be shared in two ways:

You can submit a post with your work. You must follow our template

OR

You can utilize one of our tracking tags.

Our Mods will review and approve submitted posts and scan our tracking tags on a regular basis.

If you aren’t a creator and still want to participate, you know how this works - like and reblog our creators’ content to help increase exposure. 

If you have any questions, please feel free to send us an ask and we’ll get back to you shortly. 

Mods for The Clown Car: @ididitallofitforyou @free-to-be-impaled @kayliemalinza

Submission/Post Format:

Name of Work:

Fandom:

Rating:

Tags:

Username(s):

Link:

Tracking tags: 

#The Winchester Way, #The Clown Car, #TWW weekly prompts, # TWW writes, # TWW art, # TWW meta, # TWW creates, #TWW fanfic friday, #TWW fanart friday

#The Winchester Way #The Clown Car #TWW weekly prompts #TWW writes #TWW art #TWW meta #TWW creates #TWW fanfic friday #TWW fanart friday #supernatural #spn #the winchesters #spnwin #destiel #deancas #dean winchester #castiel #sam winchester #mary winchester #mary campbell #john winchester #carlos cervantez #latika dar #ada monroe #millie winchester #akrida

[aerosmiley219]

Hi! sometimes you like posts on my sideblog, and I just think it's so cool that we're still bonding over TWW all these years later. ❤️ Have you seen the creator yet? I know Allison is in it, I've only seen clips so far but it does look interesting

No! I haven't but definitely good to know!! I love me some janney!!

[the-ravensclaws]

#cant find the audio creators info😑 #the-ravensclaws #cosplay #the worst witch #miss hardbroom #tww

[aampharros]

i wonder if you look both ways when you cross my mind

#the west wing #josh x donna #tww #my art #UGH THEYRE SO CUTE #also ive been listening to see you again by tyler the creator way too much today #it slaps my dude

[twwpress]

Creator Spotlight: Week 10

Welcome back to the TWW Author Spotlight! For every spotlight, we’ll ask each featured author the same ten questions (as well as questions you submitted on Twitter!). Today we are so excited to be talking with @thefinestmuffin on twitter/thefinestmuffins on AO3!

1) What are your top 5 desert island fics by other authors?

Ahhhhh, I need a top 20, because there are so many AMAZING fics in this fandom! At the end of the day I went with the completed fics that I reread the most and my top, fuzzy-feeling comfort fics:

When A Woman Loves A Man (Who Loves A Woman) by BeneathAnOrangeSky I remain in absolute awe at Lucy’s craft and prose. All of her fics are just so gorgeously written (honestly I had such a hard time choosing - go read all 4 of them post-haste), and this one is simply perfection. I love the alternating points of view and the way the story stays canon-compliant while absolutely deepening the impact of canon in very believable and resonant ways. This depiction of the Minsk Candles Debacle makes me laugh out loud every single time, the diary scene has SO MUCH EXQUISITE TENSION, and the Holy Night-related scene makes me want to fling myself into the freaking sun even though I’ve read it at least a dozen times. 

turns the flicker to a flame by fairwinds09 Fairwinds09’s writing is so delicious and evocative, and I feel really captures the nuance of the Josh/Donna relationship in the most simultaneously real-feeling and sensual way possible. I absolutely salivate for a War Crimes arc AU, and this fic just truly delivers on that process so beautifully. There’s so much tenderness! I also am a devotee of the Josh Lyman Is Into Feet But Not In A Weird Way school of thought (the canon evidence for this is STRONG), and this story highlights that with so much subtlety and sweetness.

where the lovelight gleams by JessBakesCakes This one was written specifically for me, and so I feel a little selfish for including this one on this list when Jess has so many other incredible, next-level fics on offer (Almost Honest and i like shiny things (but i’d marry you with paper rings) are also both definitely up there for me!), but I just love it so, so much and the comfort it brings me is hard to overstate. There’s so much Josh/Donna boyfriend-girlfriend era deliciousness here, and Donna being unrepentantly horny for Josh in a goofy Christmas sweater (AND HOLDING A BABY, RIP ALL OF US) is so funny and sweet and soft (and also SEXY, let’s be clear) to me. I have reread this one million times (will reread one million more), and it always makes my heart feel so full. Jess’s fics have impeccable vibes and always make me smile so big and feel SO GOOD!! Plus, a Wisconsin fic always does my midwestern heart right! Elite Christmas fluff, do not miss it. 

wherever is your heart (i call home) by mikaylawrites WISCONSIN FIC MY BELOVED!! MIkayla is such a wonderful writer and this story just had me by the heartstrings from moment one. Come for the Moss-family-brings-Josh-custard-when-they-meet-him vibes, stay for the childhood bedroom scenes (including ONLY ONE BED, most prized of tropes!). Honestly it’s all just so sweet and tender and poignant, and these over the years glimpses of Josh and Donna in Wisconsin absolutely do me in (meant as the highest of compliments). Also I went to school in Wisconsin so all of the little local touches fill me with joy! 

The Professor Josh series by hufflepuffhermione Ope, am I cheating if I include these as a series? Alli’s Professor Josh fics cheer me up so much, and I just absolutely adore them. Present Day Josh/Donna makes me SO HAPPY, and Alli’s vision for it here feels so perfect to me. There’s something about the pandemic being included in the setting that just really… helps all of the sweetness land for me in a resonant way, and I can’t even tell you how much I’ve smiled and cried my way through these since they came out. These fics are so sweet, so funny, and so capture where I feel like the Moss-Lyman family would be! These might be the stories I’ve reread the most in fandom - truly my bad day recovery go-to! 

 2) Do you have a favorite character to write? Favorite ship(s) to write? Are there characters or ships you'd like to write more of? (shout out to @sam_writes_fics for asking a similar question!)

I think I write Josh the most naturally (and I love writing him), but I really adore writing CJ, which I don’t do enough of and would love to do more of. Josh/Donna are definitely my favorite ship to write, and are the closest thing I have to a TWW OTP, but I’ve also written a tiny bit of Josh/Sam and CJ/Toby and am definitely open to writing other pairings. I would love to write something more CJ-centric, and I’d love to write some CJ/Kate Harper some day!! 

 3) Tell us about your writing process (setup/location? Night or day? Snacks/beverages? Computer/phone/notebook? Music or silence? Anything else you want to share is welcome!) 

I’m chronically ill and I do most of my writing from bed on my laptop with a lap desk. Inspiration hits me whenever the heck it wants to and is wildly unpredictable (plus I have a pretty classic case of inattentive ADHD, ahaha), and my migraines limit how much I can read or write, so I have to strike when I can. I need to daydream on a concept a lot before I can actually write: vibe with friends, think while driving, mull on it in the bath, listen to a song or playlist on repeat while staring at my ceiling. I need music to generate vibes, but I can’t actually write while listening to most music. To write, I need silence or white noise. I motivate myself with caffeine or a treat. I sprint to keep myself focused but don’t really care about the word count. I try to just get scenes down as I’m inspired to write them, which means I often hit an annoying point where I have to go in and make myself write all the filler and connecting parts I struggle the most with. I’m a recovering perfectionist and I have a pretty thorough editing process, and I usually spend a lot of time messing with wording. 

There was a period of time where I tried to get more disciplined about my writing process, but I realized quickly that I need to just embrace it: I type 100wpm but I think/write slow, I need to reread it/read it aloud/think about it/rewrite chunks A LOT to be happy with it, I am allergic to writing in order, and if I have ANY limitations placed on me I tend to freeze up and get stuck. I do best when I let myself write whatever I feel inspired about and don’t worry too much about finishing things in a particular order. And all of that has to be okay, because that’s how I can 1) actually write and 2) enjoy it! 

4) What writing advice do you have for others who may be reading this? 

The most important advice, and I realize the Fight Club-esque irony of this, is to take writing advice with a grain of salt/don’t interpret it as the letter of the law. There’s no one correct way to write so you should embrace the style/process that works best for you and using adverbs (or whatever dogmatic rule you might find on tumblr or writing blogs) doesn’t mean you’re a bad writer. Lookout for dogma and only adopt what genuinely helps and feels good to you. Also, listening to podcast interviews with professional novelists I admire has helped me internalize that there are SO MANY ways to write and helped me embrace my fiddly, slow-writing, out of order, touch-and-go writing process. The one concrete piece of advice that has actively helped me the most is reading my story out loud during the editing process for flow. It helps me catch parts that are clunky or don’t flow well or don’t make sense, and I cannot recommend it enough! 

 5) From where do you usually draw your inspiration? (Other forms of media, music, tropes, etc?) (Shout out to @unpennied for a similar question!) 

A lot of ideas just come to me unbidden - I’m a big daydreamer - but I’m definitely super inspired by music and sometimes poetry, and just vibes (images, aesthetics, feelings, etc.). all i ever wanted (was a life in your shape) was partially inspired by seeing a picture of Brad with his son and Janel with her niece on the same day, and those images combined with the song prompt just kind of mutated into their whole own thing. I also love tropes and in general I have a lot of fun with I guess what I’d call  creative games like, “What would the characters be like in this AU?” or “How would this trope work with this pairing?” Also, honestly, in TWW I’ve got a real “but MAAHM, I can fix them!” mentality about Josh and Donna, like any episode with a missed romantic opportunity is liable to inspire me to write a canon-divergent or fix-it fic. 

 6) What is the fic you've written that you're most proud of and why? 

I think it’s gotta be Oversight. I’ve gotta be honest, I initially felt really daunted writing an exchange gift fic for beneathanorangesky, who is both one of my closest fandom friends and one of the TWW writers I admire the most. I’d always wanted to write a Season 3 War Crimes arc AU (there’s so much potential there, IMO!) but it also felt really hard to get right or at least like something that it could be easy to get wrong. And I was SO SCARED about including Donna’s diary entries, both because it felt really critical to get the voice right and also because I know generally fandom doesn’t love first person POV. Structurally and scope-wise, the story felt pretty ambitious to me, and that was before I knew I would be whipping out 13k of smut at the end that covered the murky and hard-to-nail terrain of Jealous Josh (oooops, LOL). At the end of the day I worked really hard and very carefully to craft this one into what I hoped it could be and I am proud of how it turned out!! 

 7) What's the fic trope/concept/AU you'd read 1000 of? What's the fic trope/concept/AU you'd write 1000 of? (shout out to @donnamossburner for asking a similar question!)

I can never get enough of fake dating and only one bed! Also Joshua “Praise Kink!” Lyman until the day I die, please. And I guess I’d write 1000 canon divergence AUs, but I’d also love to write more fake dating! 

8) Is there anything you'd like to try writing-wise that you haven't yet? 

I’d really like to write original fiction, but fanfiction is so comforting and community-filled that it’s hard for me to make myself pull resources away from it towards original work. But since my disability has made it difficult to work and all I seem to be able to do reliably lately is write smut, I have been strongly considering starting an original erotica Patreon… 👀

In terms of fic, I would love to write more CJ-centered fic! Just in general, I love epistolary stories (fic and otherwise) and would love to try one someday! 

9) What's your go-to Starbucks/coffee shop/other drink order? 

I have to confess that I was briefly a barista and also lived for over a decade in the PNW, aka I’m kind of a coffee snob. I’m a sucker for independent roasters and housemade syrups, LOL, and I have a lot of fun trying new things. My current summer fave from my local coffee shop is cold brew with maple syrup and oat milk, and in colder weather I love an oat milk latte with cardamom syrup or a dirty chai. There was a little roaster in the town I used to live that had an amazing latte with housemade almond cashew milk and sometimes I just think about it longingly. When I’m having a “treat yourself!” moment at Target in the middle of errands, I will definitely get an Iced Toasted Vanilla Shaken Oatmilk Espresso (a Starbucks order with so many adjectives that it’s impossible to place it without feeling shame) or a PSL with coconut milk or oat milk. 

 10) Do you have any current projects you'd like to promote or anything upcoming you'd like to tell us about?

@jessbakescakes and I are co-hosting Trope Soup fest, which just revealed! People can continue to claim prompts and post fics for it after the reveal date, so feel free to jump in! If I DO get it together to start an original erotica Patreon, I’ll be posting a google form in the near future and would love all of your opinions on what you’re looking for/whether or not you’d be interested! And I’m working on a combo of fics and original stories for NaNoWriMo, so hopefully I’ll have stuff to post soon! On the horizon:

The next (red dress!) chapter of between the shadow and the soul, which I swear I haven’t abandoned

A follow-up AU to all i ever wanted (was a life in your shape) where J and D get it together post-Strawberry Farm (~5k done so far)

My present day Josh/Donna (~8k and counting) which I’ve been plodding away at for over a year but have been really inspired about lately. 

 Submitted questions (some questions have been edited to avoid repetition!): 

From @sam_writes_fics: what’s a fic that’s been sitting in the back of your mind forever and you hope one day you can finally write it?

SAM when I tell you there are SO MANY of these and honestly a lot of them ARE partially written.

There’s one in particular called Horseshoes and Hand Grenades that is SO CLEAR in my mind (and I have like 8k written) and it’s about all of the times something almost happened between Josh and Donna through the lens of a small transgression getting press attention and CJ interrogating them in an AU season 6. My brain has also been absolutely commandeered by a fluffy and funny Totally Platonic Sperm Donor J/D plunny so hard (and Jess has encouraged me so enthusiastically, lol) that I somehow have a full outline and a pregnancy calendar for Donna so … I can’t make any promises, but we’ll see!

From @sam_writes_fics: favorite character to read??

Joshua No Middle Name Lyman. I both kind of am him and I also want to bone him, so I simply cannot get enough. But also, and maybe this is a cheat of a second answer, it’s hard to find but I LOVE when fics have the whole ensemble banter and it’s so on pitch that I can just hear and see it in my head!

From @sinistercherubs: you get to talk to (1) tww character irl for 5 minutes, who is the character and what would you say to them?

Oh my gosh, this is such a good question and so hard!! There’s a temptation here to meddle with shit: like tell Simon Donovan not to go into that convenience store, or tell Josh to get it the heck together at one of :spins wheel: at least ten times, but I imagine that just like time travel that bit probably gets messy. At the end of the day I am a simple disaster bisexual, so I’d probably just want to flirt with CJ. Though if I had to pick a Josh Lyman intervention moment, I would go to him during Donna’s recovery and tell him that Colin is NOT in the picture, morning shows are the ones sending her flowers (not that it’s any of his business), and that our poor girl needs a longer medical leave from work and for a certain best friend/boss/crush (you, you absolute ding dong) to dig deep and show up for her. 

From @donnamossburner: If you could rewrite an episode of tww which episode would it be? And what would you write to occur?

If I could rewrite a whole arc it would be the Toby thing in s7. He was done dirty, it had a long -erm impact on the show’s post-canon relationships, and IMO it betrayed a deep misunderstanding of the character on behalf of the writers. If I could rewrite it, if I were keeping a leak at all I would not have Toby be the one leaking, but rather have there be some misunderstanding/miscommunication/falling on swords going on between him and CJ and it ultimately comes out that he didn’t fucking do it because of course he didn’t. My shippy answer is: I would either rewrite the end of Inauguration: Over There so that we get a Josh/Donna kiss OR rewrite another ep later in s4 to tie up that arc and get them together under Sorkin, as they ought to have been. Although I guess I kind of DID already rewrite this in often a sweetness, ahahaha, albeit in angsty fashion.  

From @donnamossburner: Is there a trope you haven’t written / read a lot of that you’d like to see more of in the fandom?

I’d love to see more Bisexual! Josh actively explored. And actually, I’d love to write more Bisexual Josh, ahahaha. And more present day JD always, please, in all ways. Also, I’m just saying, if there were more JD pegging fics I would definitely read them (and also have one vaguely in the works!). 

From @mlea7675: What’s your favorite post-series HC?

I don’t really have set headcanons across all story universes, but I’m a huge believer in the Congressional Representative Donna Moss-Lyman and Professor Josh agenda! 

From @unpennied: How and when did you get into the ww?

I am… old, so I first watched TWW on tv with my best friend’s family while I was in high school. They got the DVDs as they came out, so we’d have marathons together, and they’d have me over to watch new eps together too, and let me borrow the whole set for comfort rewatches when I had mono in college. The last episode of TWW aired, no lie, on the day I graduated college (with a poli sci minor)! I was a huge fan, but I wasn’t active in fandom culture back then. 

I’d rewatched a bunch over the years (esp the first four seasons), but my rewatch in early 2021 is what pulled me into active stan culture for TWW. I didn’t have the heart for it during the Trump years, tbh, but once Biden was safely inaugurated I hit play out of curiosity to see how my old fave held up. I started listening to TWWW along with my watch and then (because I was active in other fandoms by now) started looking at fics out of curiosity. And welp, here we are!

 From @JessBakesCakes: Do you have any headcanons about fics you've written that didn't make it into the fic itself? If so, which is your favorite?

This was in the fic but never spelled out: I gave Donna’s siblings in all i ever wanted (was a life in your shape) ascending alphabetical names in age order (like the Bridgerton siblings, iykyk lol) and also had the hc that her parents traded Irish and Italian names (Adam, Ben[volio], Connor, Donna[tella]) because we know from The Supremes how they go about compromise, ahaha. Also, this is so tiny and silly, but in by the chimney with care I headcanon that Donna and Josh have a kind of running gag about the bougie grocery store (you know how things sometimes start out ironic but then just become… absorbed into your Couple Landscape?) because there’s no way in hell Josh would ever just randomly call that on his own, LOL. 

 From @S4MWILSON: fave season? 

Season 2 really said all bangers and it cannot be denied - that’s probably my favorite. But I also love the campaign arc in seasons 6-7!

 fave ep? 

17 People is a work of art, and not just for JD reasons. 20 Hours in America and Dead Irish Writers are also up there for me, and (I almost count the post-Sorkin years as their own thing, LOL) The Supremes is one of my favorite later season eps!

 cast member you’d most like to hang out with? 

So hard to choose, they’d all be a delight! I think I would have a lot of fun with BWhit and Amy at a dinner party, like I feel like it would be fun, easy, and interesting to talk to them both! 

 character you’d most like to hang out with? 

CJ, be my Gal Pal™, if you are reading this I am free on Thursday night, please come hang out with me on Thursday night when I am free. 

underrated duo (ship or platonic)? 

Kate/CJ for underrated ship, Donna & Toby for friendship

long fic or short fic ? 

Honestly it’s easier for me to read and finish short fics because I have chronic migraine and can’t read the way I used to. But I love all of them, oneshots and epics!

 easiest character to write? 

Josh Joshua Josh Josh.

 fave fic tropes? 

Only one bed, fake dating, mutual pining, slow burn, coworkers to lovers, BANTER (and Professor Josh)

 fave thing abt Fanon tww? 

Gotta be the Harvard sweatshirt

 and funniest scene ? 

Some of the cold opens omfg, like there are a handful I put on when I need to laugh: the cold open for The Midterms, also the cold open for The Leadership Breakfast. And that moment in Privateers never fails to SEND me.  

Thanks again for chatting with us!!

If you’re interested in being featured for a future spotlight, please drop us a line here on tumblr, on twitter, or email [email protected].

xx, What’s next?

#Creator Spotlight #creator q & a #TWW creator #the west wing #the west wing fanfic #josh x donna #cj x kate #cj x toby #josh lyman #donna moss #toby ziegler #tww fic rec

[actuallylorelaigilmore]

anextrapart replied to your post: why do people leave complaints on fandom gifsets?...

who is it I’ll kick their ass

just some stranger who decided to wander by and complain, idk. my west wing sets tend to attract more complaints than any other fandom i play in (besides ship hate from tbl, i don’t miss that). ilu though thanks for this it helped <3

#replies #anextrapart #i have the best tumblr friends #i also have a chess set for tww people tend to rant at too because i only used the men #i did that cuz i was planning a second set with all women #but after a few angry complaints on that one i lost interest in revisiting the theme #anyway i think i'm hormonal and oversensitive it's really fine #:) #just needed to say something for once because idk if people MEAN to be mean and make creators less interested in sharing things? #or if they don't realize how crappy it feels #but either way maybe don't

[twwcast]

#Aaron Sorkin #The West Wing #tww creators

[twwpride]

TWW Pride is intended to encourage creation of queer fanworks and help to form community and support for queer creators in The West Wing fandom.

The first The West Wing Pride Week will begin on Sunday, September 17th, 2023 and run for seven days! Any fanwork posted within these dates and tagged with #twwpride23 or included in our Ao3 Collection will be included as part of the event.

Learn more at our pinned post or the links in our bio!

#it's actually 13 days but this is college move in week for me so um. apologies #twwpride23 #the west wing #tww #tww fic #west wing fanfic #image description in alt

[heathtrash]

it’s finally that day!

the creators have been revealed for the tww gift exchange!! see if your suspicions were correct 👀 i won’t spoil them all here - go forth and discover who wrote that fic or who drew that incredible art for you 🥹

onwards to the ao3 collection!

also remember the december prompts are still ongoing! everyone's welcome to join in - write a fluffy little drabble or draw a doodle for your fellow tww pals!

and merry christmas, if you celebrate 🎄✨

#tww #the worst witch #tww december prompts #secret santa #hicsqueak #mumbroom #lampbroom #hecate hardbroom #pippa pentangle #julie hubble #constance hardbroom #lynne lamplighter