I will be the first!

[dbskyler]

I have signed up for the btfchallenge writing challenge, which stands for "Be the First," and I am going to write the very first fic for QuarkI still can't believe that there is no fic for this fandom at all, but I haven't been able to find any. I don't consider it that obscure of a TV show, but apparently it is? Anyway, I'm really looking forward to writing

Comments

[dieastra]

There is no tag on AO3 for the TV series "Bodyguards" from 1996 either. I have written but not yet published a fic for it. One really wonders if it's even worth it or if only people who search for the Bodyguard movie will be disappointed ;)

I've never watched "Quark" so I can't comment on how obscure it is.

Anyway, I wish you good luck with your story! Do you at least have a friend to show it to / discuss it / ask for beta? Sometimes I feel, showing it just to one person and hearing their opinioin is enough, anything else is bonus.

[dbskyler]

You should sign up for "Bodyguards" at the Be the First writing challenge and then publish your fic! They will put it in an AO3 collection for you and everything!

I can't think of anyone who knows Quark who'd be willing to beta, but I do have a beta who is usually up for cracky sci-fi stuff even if she doesn't know the fandom, and this would definitely qualify. Quark was a sci-fi show that parodied sci-fi shows, especially Star Trek and Star Wars. And oh look, someone's put an episode up on Youtube in case you want to check it out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1BUCwf5yv4_

[dieastra]

When I click the BTF challenge link in your post, I am getting an error, so I can't check it out. Possibly you spelled it wrong somehow?

I'll check out the link, thanks! Not sure I know enough sci-fi to appreciate a parody show - you have to know the original to be in the know for the jokes, and I don't really watch much sci-fi. But I was very wary of "The Orville" in the beginning and ended up loving it, so you never know!

[dbskyler]

No idea what happened there -- apparently some weirdness between the original post on Dreamwith and the crossposting here -- but I fixed it! If you click on it now, it should take you to the right place, which is here: btfchallenge

[dieastra]

Guess what, I just did. I mentioned your name so you might get a notification ;)
I never before have signed up to any challenges, as I prefer to write when an idea strikes me and not when a deadline is nearing, but given that I have the story already finished and only need to include the beta changes, I feel confident.
And how knows, one might find likeminded fans. I also just did my pimping post: https://btfchallenge.livejournal.com/5073.html?thread=78033#t78033

Does that sound convincing?

I actually searched for your post in DW back then and the link did not work there either.

[dbskyler]

Hmm, sounds like I got the link wrong in the original post! But no one tried to click it on Dreamwidth, apparently. ;)

Anyway, glad you have now found the comm, and are going to contribute your fic! Also, just so you know, I used to have your exact same attitude about challenges -- I was sure that my writing style would never work with a deadline -- but I have discovered that I was wrong. Not only can I write to deadline, but quite a few of my personal favorites are fics that I wrote for challenges. In fact, the very first fic I ever wrote for a challenge was also my very first fic to be widely recced (it made it to Calufrax, the Doctor Who reccing community). So maybe this will be the start of a new era of challenge-writing for you! But even if it isn't, there is nothing at all wrong with seeking out the occasional challenge here and there which fits you, and it sounds like Be the First is a great fit!

[dieastra]

No, definitely not. My writing style is different. It has happened more than once, that late in the evening, around midnight, when I am about to go to bed, just browse the internet one last time, and see a promotion picture, for example for the next episode of Arrow, and my mind starts to play out the whole scene, and then I have to write it down immediately, as I can’t sleep anyway. Or I am chatting with a friend about something we have watched, and an idea springs to mind. Sometimes I am even lazy, and she writes my idea ;) We inspire each other. Or I write the beginning and end and she the middle part that was set in the past. We did that for a Gotham/Alfred Pennyworth story. Something that haunts him from the past, but inspired by mentions in an episode

[dbskyler]

But my own fics are all rather short, about 2,500-3,000 words

So are mine! The first ficathon I signed up for had a minimum word limit of 500 words. Yuletide -- which I'm pretty sure is the biggest multifandom exchange out there -- has a minimum word limit of 1000 words. And I just signed up for who-guestfest, another ficathon with a 500-word-limit. Plenty of stuff out there for writers like us!

Does she mean, in the beginning after it was revealed it can’t be found under the tag (as this usually takes a while)

Yes, this is what she means. It's because AO3 waits until the fics are revealed (made public) until they begin wrangling the tags (making them searchable), so right after reveal, the mod made a separate list and asked people to find the fics that way instead of going through tags. But it doesn't take AO3 long to wrangle tags, so the tags were likely all searchable within a few days.

[dieastra]

It's the end of the year and I make another attempt of cleaning my inbox. I have no idea why I still kept your comment, but I am happy to announce that in the meantime I have written a 17 k fic! I am suprised by myself. And not only that but I wrote it in record time too, the first draft was done within just one week. I had a great beta giving me some inspiration when I needed it as at first the task and possibilities seemed way too big and overwhelming

I don't assume you watch "The Orville" nor will you probably know Seth MacFarlane's Western parody "A Million Ways to die in the West" - I did a crossover between those two. Albert from the Wild West was switched with Ed who is Captain of the "Orville" (both are played by Seth) and both had to deal with trying to find their ways through a totally different environment. Fish out of water so to speak. I had great fun with that one!

It's here if you are curious enough to try it.https://

[dbskyler]

Hi and happy new year!

And by curious coincidence, I just started watching "The Orville" recently, and am now about 4 episodes in. Haven't heard of "A Million Ways to Die in the West" but it sounds interesting, as does your crossover. : )

[dieastra]

Happy New Year to you too

[dbskyler]

Just saw "The Krill" tonight. I'm enjoying the show so far, but still trying to figure it out. I had heard it was kind of like a Star Trek comedy, but it's definitely not that. Star Trek that doesn't take itself too seriously? There's a lot of current pop culture references, which is kind of weird. I mean, a whole episode with jokes about "Avis"? You probably didn't even get those as you're not American. Avis is a well-known car rental company here. They even put in Avis' advertising slogan. It's like . . . why go for such a stupid joke

[dieastra]

I love the Krill episode for the scene where Ed admits that he is afraid of the mission. There is so much emotion in his voice. He’s really scared. When have you ever heard a Star Trek captain say that? And the end with him saving the children and Teleya saying he made now enemies is powerful too

[dbskyler]

I grew up with TOS -- my local TV station showed reruns of it every afternoon, and I used to watch it when I got home from school. I hated Next Generation when I first watched it. Like you, I found it boring, and also slow-moving and self-important and lacking in humor. But I eventually got into it and now can say that I enjoy a lot of it. The later episodes are much better than the first ones. But overall, I like DS9 more because it doesn't view the Federation as this perfect organization. There are real characters, and real conflicts, plus real humor. The Tribbles episode is of course the best! But other episodes also have humor. Unfortunately, it does get very dark in the later seasons with the war stuff, which I hate. Just go watch seasons 1-5, before the war gets going. One of my favorite episodes is in season 5 -- "Doctor Bashir, I Presume

[dieastra]

AGAIN! LJ needs to raise their post limit

[dieastra]

And part 2/2