#earlgreytea68

[fansplaining]

But actually? Fan creators might be the “real” artists here. Because fan creators know that all art is built on building blocks. It’s not hidden; it’s explicit. Fan creators know that creativity isn’t a finite resource that needs to be kept behind lock and key. With those same basic building blocks, from trope to trope and fandom to fandom, an infinite amount of vitally important creativity can be built. We know; we’ve done it. The law just needs to catch up. 

— @earlgreytea68 in her article "How U.S. Copyright Law Fails Fan Creators." Read it, then listen (or read a transcript) of our conversation with her in our most recent episode, "The Copyright Conundrum."

#fansplaining #earlgreytea68 #copyright law #fandom #fanworks #fanfiction

[elizabethminkel]

Totally delighted to represent the "I have worked in service roles too long to find coffee shop AUs romantic" stance in this fantastic piece about the trope and how it explores ideas about public space by Alexandra Lange.

(I've never worked in a coffee shop or any other food service role, to be clear! But I have been flirted with—sometimes pretty aggressively—by bazillions of men in my two decades as a mutuel clerk, and idk, customer/employee is not a dream fic scenario of mine lol.)

Also delighted to appear here alongside @earlgreytea68, I'm glad coffee shop AUs have a top-notch defender. 🥰

#coffee shop AU #fanfiction #alexandra lange #earlgreytea68 #also the secret is out #i sat next to andrew scott in my coffee shop

[bakerstmel]

Fall Favorite Fic Festival, Entry 5

Remember, winter doesn't officially begin until December 21, she said pedantically.

I've delayed writing this entry because I was trying to define the reason (or reasons) why I love this fic so damn much. I read this fic at least twice a year, usually sometime in February and then again in the fall. It's a sports fic, and while I am not in general a sports person, I do love me some baseball. But the sport isn't the reason I love this fic, and I think I may have figured it out. Stick with me.

I started the link at Chapter 2, because Chapter 1 is a guide to baseball for the uninitiated. Some of it is out of date now, because MLB in its STUPIDITY has messed around with the rules this year because GOD FORBID people have to wait longer than a minute for anything to fucking happen on a sports field, and of course only HITS matter, but it is still fun to read. You don't need it to appreciate the fic, though.

Whilst I was processing this fic, I spent some time thinking about sports fics in general, and that led me to reread a couple of other favorites. One was A Study in Winning, by Jupiter_Ash. I really like that fic as well, even though I know next to nothing about tennis. I like the drama of the story, I like Sherlock faking his nationality just because, and I enjoy John being a petty little bitch to Moriarty there at the end. I feel like there for a while everyone had read or was reading that fic. Another one I went back to was Of Ice and Men, by SinceWhenDoYouCallMe_John, which is an OT3 set during the Winter Olympics. That one has John in the Paralympics, which gives the relationships an entirely new dimension. There are other good sports fics - throw your favorite in the comments, if you like. I'm mostly limiting my scope in these musings to Sherlock, as I've said before, but I'll read anything if it's good. Links to these two fics are below.

One of the ways in which sports fics have an advantage is that they have a built in structure. There's a match, or a tournament, or a season, and the relationship drama plays out against that backdrop. Writing classes always talk about the "ticking clock" approach to narrative tension, and almost every sport has some type of literal ticking clock. The Bang and the Clatter plays out over a full baseball season, including Spring Training and the postseason. That's basically a year minus the main American holidays, and EarlGreyTea does a really good job of letting the story play out at an appropriate pace. That's very impressive considering that she was posting this as a WIP over the course of an actual season.

(I need to take a minute to talk about my issues with EGT, and by "issues" I mean "soul churning jealousy." EGT is ridiculously prolific. If you go back into the fandom annals and look at the timing of some of her biggest fics, she was posting what became major reference points for the fandom in tandem, writing multiple fics at the same damn time, while, you know, teaching law or moving cross country. She is the best example I know of the importance of writing regularly. Of course, she's incredibly gifted, highly skilled at plotting, characterization, pacing, and just words. She has a fabulous imagination. Her dialogue rings true, and it's fun. But she can turn really good stuff out relatively quickly because she's limber AF. She writes. Anyone who comes to Word Sprints on Sundays or just hangs with me writing knows I'm not fast. I'm lucky to break 100 words in 15 minutes. Part of that is that I edit as I go, but it's also that I don't write as often as I would like to, so it takes me some time to warm up. I would like to be more like EGT, which probably sounds kind of creepy. I hope she doesn't see this. Anyway, she's written many of my top 20, and she actually finishes her stuff. So, yeah. Issues.)

So here is where I ended up: this is a good AU that takes advantage of the time crunch of the sport in which it is set, but that is not why I read it 2+ times per year. I read it because this is one of my favorite John and Sherlock relationships ever. It feels so in character for the way we see them in the show (at least through S2; this was written in 2013). We see them meet, we feel their attraction, we feel Sherlock's very authentic confusion. We feel their fear at being caught out, at first by each other and then by the world. They earn their angst. The way to my heart is good characterization, and this has that. Alongside the battery, the OCs (especially Sherlock and John's families) are complex and have issues of their own. Moriarty doesn't show up until the All Star Workout, which is halfway through the season for those of you who don't know, but it works because by that point, John and Sherlock have things to lose. Lestrade is the best effing choice for a beleaguered, exasperated baseball manager there ever was. Mycroft saves the day AND fucks it up, which I wish we'd seen more of in those days.

Also, John and Sherlock never get too far away from each other, and when they're separated, it's usually for narrative reasons. I like that in a fic, I've come to realize. I like to watch the characters' interplay. It's hard for Sherlock to keep secrets from John when they work together, commute together, and live together, and John is no fool. Their office isn't 221b Baker Street, it's a stadium in Austin, TX, where shit plays out in front of 30k people. John loves baseball. Sherlock loves John. They fight, they fall in love, they eat Chinese food, and they play baseball. And best of all, they are themselves together.

If you read the parts that EGT wrote after the big story, there's a mention of Sherlock pulling together a pick up game in London made of American ex-pats for John's sake, and I'll tell you what. That really pulls this fic together for me. This Sherlock would do that for this John, and we end up a little on the outside looking in, and it's just charming as fuck.

In conclusion, read this even if you don't know baseball, if you want great characterization, a chance to be reminded of how beautiful John and Sherlock were together back in the golden age. Pay attention to the ticking clocks in your favorite fics; intentional or not, there's almost always some time pressure ginning up the conflict. If you're a writer, the best way to get better is to write more. Feels like bullshit, but it's true. And finally, fuck MLB forever for going the completely wrong way on the DH. Pitchers in both leagues should have to/get to hit, and more to the point, DHs should have to fucking do something when their teams are out in the field. I will die on this mound.

(Also, if I'm being honest, Bull Durham is probably my favorite movie, so maybe I'm more of a baseball fan than I'm letting on. I do generally love baseball in popular media. But I still think it's the characterization.)

#fall favorite fic festival #FFFF5 #The Bang and the Clatter #EarlGreyTea68 #A Study in Winning #Jupiter_Ash #Of Ice and Men #sincewhendoyoucallme john

[eleanorfenyx]

I was tagged by @earlgreytea68, thank you! I always love talking about music lol

You can usually tell a lot about a person by the type of music they listen to. put your favourite playlist on shuffle and list the first ten songs then tag ten people! no skipping!

So I actually have a playlist of like 48 hours of music that I listen to almost exclusively because I play it on my community radio show every Friday -- I put it on shuffle and whatever plays, plays, so I just have to own up to my all-over-the-place music taste, sometimes chatting about particular songs or artists as I feel like it, aaand that's the whole show lol. But anyway I'm going to put that playlist on and see what comes up!

The Doorman by Watchouse (formerly Mandolin Orange)

Forrest Gump by Frank Ocean

Polaroid Love by ENHYPEN

Kanashimi yo Konnichiwa by Yuki Saito

Baby I'm a Star by Prince & the Revolution

Sagittarius Superstar by COIN

Old 45's by Chromeo

Viva la Vida by Coldplay

Sin Wagon by The Chicks

I Got You (I Feel Good) by James Brown

Okay I feel like that actually wasn't as weird as it could have been. There was one show a couple weeks ago where I ended up playing Bubblegum Bitch by Marina and the Diamonds and it was immediately followed by Come Away With Me by Norah Jones (a transition that literally made me laugh out loud by myself at the station) and then it was Uptown Girl by Billy Joel..It was a bit of whiplash haha, and that's usually pretty standard.

But anyway! No pressure on anyway to play, but I'm tagging: @wei--wuxian, @wincestielfttfwin, @labyrynth, @forever-niji, @lansplaining, @oft-goes-awry, @omgpurplefattie, @scarlet-gryphon, @wishthatiwasnessiesgirl, and @epistemologys (sorry epi I have no idea why I can't tag you properly lol) plus anyone else who sees this who wants to play along! I'm terrible for picking people to tag in these kinds of games but I'd like to hear from anyone who wants to share their music ♥

#personal #tag game #earlgreytea68

[consultingreaders]

Personally speaking, I spent part of tonight thinking about Swan Song (not even re-reading! just thinking and marveling) and tbh I feel like I had a better evening than many 

#super bowl #earlgreytea68 #swan song

[fictionescapism]

Fanfic Rec #128 Arthur/Eames (Inception) part 4

High Hopes by ester_inc Arthur at seventeen is not the same as Arthur at twenty-nine; Eames is one of the few people to have met Arthur at both ages. Some days, Arthur thinks that if he could go back in time and smack some sense into his teenage self, he would. A story about lust, love, and the years between.

Ivory Tower by earlgreytea68 In which Arthur is an academic with a sexy conference hook-up...

Follies of Roughhousing by Ylith Dom is Arthur’s older brother, and Eames is Dom’s best friend.  Dom and Eames have always loved to mess with Arthur, but as they get older Arthur develops a raging crush on Eames.  Arthur is mortified the first time he gets hard while Eames is tackling him, but then one day Eames wrestles him to the ground and Arthur can feel that he isn't the only one affected.

La Vie de Famille by Lenore Arthur takes a job babysitting for Eames's son. Family happens.

you're the sugar to my high by scribblscrabbl A bakery AU.In which life and love are never so simple as making a perfect croissant.

#arthur/eames #arthur x eames #arthur eames #arthur/eames rec #fanfiction #fanfic #fanfic rec #rec #inception #inception rec #incpetion fanfiction #arthur/eames fanfiction #inception fanfiction #ester_inc #earlgreytea68 #Ylith #Lenore #scribblscrabbl #High Hopes #Ivory Tower #Follies of Roughhousing #La Vie de Famille #you're the sugar to my high

[johnlockficsfix]

Sherlock Holmes was an exceptional pitcher who was a constant also-ran for all of the very best of baseball’s honors...He was brilliant, but he wasn’t quite all the way there yet, John thought. There was something he was missing.

The Bang and The Clatter by earlgreytea68

Sherlock Holmes is a pitcher and John Watson is a catcher. No, no, no, it's a baseball AU.

If you like this, you’ll also like,

A Study in Winning by JupiterAsh

Working on the Edges by Earlgreytea68

#Sherlock #Johnlock #M #>100k #Sports AU #baseball #hurt/comfort #developing relationship #first time #secret relationship #minor homophobia #romance #angst #the bang and the clatter #earlgreytea68 #fic rec #fanfiction #AO3

[roosterbox]

Fic Rec Friday 4/28/23

Title: Next Big Thing

Rating: Mature

Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply

Category: M/M

Fandom: Inception (2010)

Relationship: Arthur/Eames (Inception)

Characters: Arthur (Inception), Eames (Inception)

Additional Tags: HGTV

Summary: Eames is certain that they will excel at being celebrity judges.

Arthur is not so sure.

But then, that's usually how their relationship goes.

———

This rec. Hooboy, this rec. I had to re-read this fic to insure that, yes, it really is still just as good as it was in 2015. I was absolutely correct.

First, don’t be intimidated by the length. It’s 231 chapters, but every single one of them moves so quick, you’ll have it halfway done before you realize. Easy breezy beautiful Covergirl.

Second, the best single thing about NBT might be the Original Characters. There are a lot of them - befitting a fic about a reality competition show! - and every single one is interesting. Even the ones who are jerks (*coughcoughAlec*). I dare you to read this and not fall at least a tiny bit in love with Sunny or Gon or Julia or Misty Rainbow. Speaking of Ms. Rainbow, there is a scene in this story that, when I first read it eight years ago, affected me so much, I had to put my phone down and pace around my room for like five minutes. So good that I remembered it word for word. You’ll be happy to know that The Scene is still incredible, even now. The unquestionable high point of the story for me, though everything around it is also amazing.

Another aspect I appreciate (and did back then too!) is how the Drama(tm) is never about risking Arthur and Eames’ relationship. Never once did I fear that there would be a big fight or a breakup or something. Which is very soothing to know - that while all this nonsense swirls around them, our boys are always together and in love. That constant is like the calm eye of the reality TV storm.

Overall, this one comes very very highly recommended. I know I say that a lot, but seriously, if you call yourself a fan of inception fics and haven’t read this one? Please do!

———

Next Week: Time for some Hannigram again! This one is one of my favorite one-shot AUs. Built around a simple premise: what if Will’s dad (and, naturally, Will too) lived/worked at the Lecter household in Lithuania? What if Will and Hannibal grew up together? Definitely intriguing.

See you next time!

#fic rec friday #dreamhusbands #arthur x eames #next big thing #writer: earlgreytea68 #hgtv ‘verse #this fic is amazing #I feel it right here #*clutches chest* #lol

[amtrak12]

oh no I’ve discovered angel telapathy while reading Lucifer fic. MA’AM I grew up in the Doctor/Rose fandom, YOU KNOW TELEPATHY IS MY WEAKNESS.

#it wasn't even smutty telepathy #it was Lucifer using telepathy to comfort baby Rory #WHICH IS SO MUCH WORSE FOR MY HEART #all I can think of is that classic Ten/Rose fic with their three children #only the baby was born AFTER the Doomsday separation so she was in the parallel universe #all alone with no Time Lords to sense #and when the family reunited Ten used telepathy to soothe her #(this is the Chaos Verse by earlgreytea68 for those who know it) #AND IT RUINED ME #PARENTS USING TELEPATHY TO BOND WITH THEIR CHILDREN RUINS ME #my heart just can't take it #it squeezes my chest and makes me want to sob #T_T #rip me if this is a trend in Lucifer fic #I won't survive

[kingofthewolvez]

Remembered a quote, thought it was from GOmens or something… it was fanfiction… SHERLOCK fanfiction

#I love you earlgreytea68 tho #letters is a fucking epic fic #☾ yip yip awoo! ~ text posts

[pixelatedquarter]

As requested by @earlgreytea68 the Sandwich With Cheese Speech (intro to Heaven, Iowa) (from fairypsychic on Instagram)

#2ourdust #fall out boy #fob

[fansplaining]

Today we're thrilled to publish our latest article—a piece on U.S copyright law and fandom by @earlgreytea68!

Fan creators don’t speak with one voice any more than any creative community speaks with one voice. I am well aware that I am one of you, but I am definitely not all of you. But most fan creators don’t consider themselves to be lazy or thieves—including me. In fact, all the fan creators that I know work very hard on our creations. We don’t consider ourselves to be stealing anything, because what we “steal”—some characters, some settings—is part of our cultural heritage, part of the world around us, part of the raw material we’ve been given to examine and make sense of our world, the way creators have for millennia.

She'll also discuss the topic on this week's episode, out today for Patrons and tomorrow for everyone else!

#fandom #fansplaining #fanfiction #copyright #earlgreytea68 #originality #attribution #monetization #fanworks

[earlgreytea68]

It’s going to be a thing, this podcast thing. Patrick can tell. After twenty years of Pete Wentz things, he can see them coming from miles away.

#peterick #fall out boy #fob

[sits-bound]

Bound: Nature and Nurture by @earlgreytea68

What an utterly fantastic fic! I'm happy with how the bind came out, but I have a few things I'd change if I did it again:

I wouldn't forget to put the ribbon in before the endbands

I would make the style more consistent. The chapter headings and the cover do not match at all.

I would be more careful when ironing the HTV on the spine

Not put a dang ampersand in the title on the header and the cover page. Argh.

I WOULD NOT MISSPELL THE AUTHOR'S NAME wow this is embarrassing

Also to note about this bind:

I was going to print the chapter pages in color. I used this lovely graphic and beautiful drop caps, but a 57 chapter fic when you don't have a color printer is maybe not the best choice. Half the sheets would have had color on them, and it would have cost a fortune to print.

I scavenged the end bands and the boards from a book I bought at a library sale. Just to see. I feel like the glue didn't stick as well to the smooth cover as it does to bare chipboard.

The HTV on the spine got messed up a little bit when I was ironing it on, but I was able to pick off the bits that were messed up and iron on a fresh set of lettering/graphic and you really can't even tell now! Whew. (Note to self: Cricut brand metallic htv has been the best of all the brands I've used as far as application goes.)

But all in all, I'm happy with it. It's just for me, after all, so it's okay if it's not perfect. That said, if I do this one again, I'd make a different cover that's more consistent with the chapter headers. (Like, if the author wants a copy?)

Bookcloth: Allure Bookcloth Indigo Body Text: Corundum Text Light Chapter Headings: MrKeningbeck Pro Drop Caps: FLOWER Inside title: FLOWER and MrKeningbeck Pro and Filson Pro Cover: Filson Pro All icons from The Noun Project

#fanbinding #ficbinding #bookbinding #sits bound #bbc sherlock #sherlock fic #earlgraytea68 #nature and nurture

[meetinginsamarra]

Fanfics I Really Liked in February 2024

So. Since I keep a list of what I´ve read anyway (there´s always a list), I will rec all the fics I´ve wholly enjoyed on a monthly basis. Old and new, canon or AU, big or small authors, long or short but nearly always Johnlock (-ish).

Walk of Shame by 72reasons @onesmallfamily

John is just back from the war and lonely. He distracts himself with casual sex. Sherlock usually refrains from sex, but in trying to stay sober he indulges in it now and again. One day, Sherlock meets John on the street and sparks fly. Casual sex is one thing, but what about something more?

Hurt/Comfort, vulnerable characters and sex. Great.

Exsanguinate by 7PercentSolution @7-percent

A Five+1 of missing scenes from HLV when Sherlock nearly bled to death and what happened next.

Way more logical explanations for what happened medically and psychologically in canon HLV and afterwards.

Compartmentalised Troubles by BakerTumblings

John Watson is in financial need, so he finds a job for a home monitoring company. Next client? Mycroft Holmes.

Something is amiss in the mansion and then a mighty thunderstorm happens and John has to use all of his doctoring skills to save the unusual visitor.

Time in a Bottle by DiscordantWords @discordantwords

One wasted wish, five wishes that changed the world, and one wish that changed nothing at all.

Such a clever premise and suspensful fic. A genie gets to grant Sherlock and John three wishes and they use it to change things in the past. What they wish for is very telling about their characters but the changes made are not what they expect them to be.

Nature and Nurture by earlgreytea68 @earlgreytea68

The British Government accidentally clones Sherlock Holmes. Which brings a baby to 221B Baker Street.

I am so very late to this fandom classic but somehow the sheer length and the concept of a clone baby always kept me from reading. A huge mistake! The fic is very diverting albeit the length and the Sherlockian clone baby is one of the best and funniest OMCs (if you can call it that) I have read about. Also, lots of insight into the inner workings of John and Sherlock via their accidental (and awesome) parenting. Brilliant!

#my fanfic recs #fanfics I really liked in February 2024

[dduane]

Hi Diane! 👋 Longtime fan here. I know you're a fanfic fan (of series you're not involved in creating) and I was wondering if you would be willing to share any fics you particularly enjoyed reading. I know you've kept your ao3 pseudonym under wraps, but I'd love to read some fics that you enjoyed, if you're comfortable with that!!

I'm finding it increasingly hard to point at specific fics (not least because every time I try to do that, these days, about fifty others leap up in the back of my mind screaming "But what about MEEEEEE?"... and I wind up getting nowhere.

But I can easily tell you what authors I read repeatedly (and these are almost exclusively in the BBC!Sherlock fandom, though there are exceptions).

(inserting a cut here, because wow, the list does go on a bit)

...They would include:*

tweedisgood suitesamba sussexbound standbygo ArwaMachine Mildredandbobbin earlgreytea68 LapOtter ellipsical Raina_at vitruvianwatson CaitlinFairchild mydogwatson Khorazir J_Baillier SilentAuror teahigh abundantlyqueer darcylindbergh mistyzeo PrettyArbitrary songlin Calais_Reno cwb Random_Nexus azriona what_alchemy scullyseviltwin Atiki ivyblossom amalnahurriyeh PlaidAdder Salambo06 lifeonmars hitlikehammers keelywolfe Silvergirl bendingsignpost AtlinMerrick professorfangirl emmagrant101 DiscordantWords mydogwatson Ariane_DeVere unicornpoe verityburns mydwynter Mazarin221b belovedmuerto bluebellofbakerstreet Resonant Chryse Beautifulfiction wordstrings cathedral_carver thisprettywren mycapeisplaid philalethia

...For starters. (sighing) (I know I've forgotten names I should be remembering. I'll have to add them later.)

But this should be enough to be going on with for the moment... :)

*I'm not going to try to alphabetize these. I pulled the list from my bookmarks and recent AO3 reading history.

#fanfic #author recs #Sherlock fandom