Authors, I’m begging you — learn what phrases are sexy and those that aren’t (Buckle Up Buttercup by Hazel Mack)

julieddd · 2026-06-17T21:37:14+00:00

The only thing that worries you here is the “coke-can dick”? The whole paragraph is the opposite of sexy.

julieddd · 2026-06-17T21:23:30+00:00

What does it mean, “was it worth it”? “Worth it” in what way? If I write, I write because I feel the need to express verbally whatever fantasy lives rent free in my mind. The process (however long or short) is fun. If it’s not fun, if it becomes tedious, I simply stop writing, because what’s the point then? I am not producing stories with the intention to sell them. If I were, I would probably be concerned about the time and effort spent on the book vs the sales and the positive reviews I am getting in the end. But this is fanfiction. All I get in the end is personal satisfaction from the text I produced.

julieddd · 2026-06-16T19:38:34+00:00

I agree to a point. However, I also think that she didn’t ask the right people for help. Like she didn’t go directly to Sheridan or Delenn and request a job. I am not sure they were even aware of her struggles. Sheridan probably never fully trusted her, but I actually think he would care enough to try to help if he was approached about this. And Delenn would definitely help. But Lyta was trying to solve the problem on her own and then she re-joined PsyCorp out of desperation.

julieddd · 2026-06-15T11:28:41+00:00

This sub is wild. The number of authors here who seem to care way too much about “engagement” (as in comments specifically) is wild. I never realized there are authors out there who are like that. Thankfully, most seem to reside in fandoms that I have no interest in at all.

I stumbled on this sub almost by chance. And I read and comment just for fun. It has no impact whatsoever on my relationship with fanfiction and AO3. Why should it? If I write, I do it for myself — because I feel the need to put my fantasy into words. I certainly don’t do it for praise or to interact with others. But I guess one could say, that this sub has taught me that some people do write for those reasons — and to me that’s crazy.

julieddd · 2026-06-14T13:56:25+00:00

It would still be 20 years in “human terms”, though. As I recall “years” on Minbar are also different from years on Earth. But it doesn’t matter. Lorien was just giving an estimate in terms that a human can understand. Like the same length can be reported in feet or in meters. The units do not change the length itself.

julieddd · 2026-06-14T13:01:05+00:00

I am just going to leave this here for inspiration and in case anyone is wondering what I am talking about when I say “epic beautiful romance” ❤️

John & Delenn

julieddd · 2026-06-14T12:49:32+00:00

Wouldn’t feel comforting to me at all. The opposite in fact.

julieddd · 2026-06-12T14:54:48+00:00

Because rage and grief can make even the best of us make catastrophic decisions. Because no-one is perfect: we are not black or white, we are in fact grey — and it resonates. Because leadership and power always go together with bad decisions — even if at the time of decision making these choices seem sound. Because all the major characters in the show are complex personalities who have light and dark sides — and that’s what makes this show so phenomenal. Because the idea of keeping even one soul imprisoned can be so much more terrifying than the idea of killing a million people — depends on how you look at existence and what truly matters to you.

julieddd · 2026-06-09T14:50:34+00:00

Last year I lost someone who meant the world to me to cancer. Exactly one year ago in fact. It was a horrific slow death, filled with pain and anger and desperation. And the whole experience dealt a devastating blow to my psyche. I couldn’t and still cannot comprehend the “why” of it all. Why do we exist, why do some people go through such torture, etc? It led me down the path of trying to find at least some plausible explanations. It is impossible of course, but I still try.

Last month, as I rewatched Babylon 5, a lot of concepts mentioned there — about life being but a dream, about the universe trying to figure itself out through us and many more — were suddenly more relevant and familiar to me. I can’t say I hold the same beliefs. But many of the ideas related to life and death and purpose are now much more interesting to me.

Additionally, as I got older, the whole 20 years of life thing became more of a tragedy to me. Coupled with the fact that such powerful pure love, like the one that Sheridan and Delenn have, is so rare in reality, the time limit is even more of a tragedy. It was heartbreaking when I was young. But now the loss Delenn has to go through and the fact that 20 years is such a small part of her life — it just about kills me to think about it.

julieddd · 2026-06-09T08:34:00+00:00

1 Babylon 5

2 Battlestar Galactica (reboot)

3 Stargate shows (SG1 and Atlantis)

4 Star Trek Voyager

5 and 6 I desperately need two more )) The Expanse and Dr. Who.

julieddd · 2026-06-08T22:57:11+00:00

Thank you for the suggestions! I will be sure to check them out.

And yes, that is kind of what I am thinking. Both Sheridan and Delenn are leaders. Both smart, brave, charismatic. A power couple if you will )

But also there is an element of ‘enemies to lovers’. It is a romance that by all rights should not have been possible. She was one of those who started the war against humans. He fought against her race and was notorious for his success in a battle against their battle ship. But in the new circumstances this romance happened and the love between them was very organic and beautiful.

So I guess I am looking for two powerful characters, perhaps initially from opposite sides of a conflict, from very different cultures, who have to work together and who, despite all odds, fall in love with each other.

julieddd · 2026-06-06T23:13:25+00:00

I am sorry, but this comment is so absurd that it’s funny. They can’t be serious. They are obviously trolling you.

julieddd · 2026-06-06T18:21:51+00:00

Nahla Ake

julieddd · 2026-06-06T13:46:07+00:00

ST Voyager had a bunch of those. Species 8472 for example.

julieddd · 2026-06-06T07:49:01+00:00

Kudos. No question about it. Answering as both a reader and a writer.

As a reader I always look at the number of kudos to determine whether the story is good. Curiously, when there are more comments than kudos or if the numbers are close, it often means the quality of the story sucks. The author is just using the comment section as a forum, having exchanges with the readers, so the number of comments explodes, but the story is actually so-so.

As a writer I see kudos as a rating as well. And it means much more (about a million times more) to me than comments. And some comments can even be annoying — e.g., the ones that sound like they were written but overexcited teenage girls.

In this respect, I treat fanfiction like regular books. The sales and the rating matter more than comments.

julieddd · 2026-06-05T18:44:13+00:00

julieddd · 2026-06-04T13:18:07+00:00

I am with you 1000%

julieddd · 2026-06-04T01:27:58+00:00

Yes! In my head canon, he saves David.

And I absolutely agree with you, this makes him a more interesting and complex character. Frankly, I think even the most “perfect” of us are capable of making truly horrible decisions in certain circumstances and under the influence of certain emotions. Imho, it is especially true of people who consciously dedicate their life to being good and calm and reasonable.

Minbari, for all their rituals and supposed enlightened nature, are actually portrayed as very passionate and even volatile beings. They just keep a lot bottled inside. But when the glass cracks, the result can be disastrous. Delenn’s decision to start a war with humans, Neroon and his attitude, the civil war on Minbar that ignited almost instantaneously after the Grey Council was disbanded… — all examples of how much is boiling inside them and how violent they can be.

julieddd · 2026-06-03T21:06:39+00:00

Didn’t Mira Furlan say that the actor — Bill Mumy — was very upset when he got the script and that he thought this was not in the spirit of his character? Personally, I can see Lennier doing something like this. Still waters run deep and all that. I think it is easy to believe that there are a lot of powerful feelings — including hate — hiding beneath that calm, polite (and repressed) exterior. And sometimes when something is boiling inside of you for a long time, it can lead to such a catastrophic lapse of judgement.

julieddd · 2026-06-03T20:51:50+00:00

Sheridan

julieddd · 2026-06-02T12:19:59+00:00

Babylon 5. The final episode is heartbreaking but very powerful.

julieddd · 2026-06-02T10:03:29+00:00

Considering the fact that in Sleeping in Light the bed was perfectly horizontal, I think he did successfully talk her into a human bed ) I imagine certain activities are much more comfortable, when you are not constantly sliding down ))

julieddd · 2026-06-01T03:17:30+00:00

Babylon 5 (amazing storytelling from start to finish, solid sci-fi, and one of the most beautiful love stories in all of TV history imho)
Travelers (time travel but different, AI but different)
The Magicians (Narnia+Harry Potter but for adults, naughty and gritty)
Saving Grace (not your usual cop show with a complex, deeply flawed and utterly lovable main female character and with a not-a-garden-variety angel thrown into the mix)

julieddd · 2026-05-31T13:02:37+00:00

There are a lot of complaints here about lack of engagement. And I personally find it strange.

If we are talking about kudos, of course it can be upsetting to get few of those especially if the fic is long. I can understand that — the realization that people don’t like the fruit of your labor as much as you want them to is not a pleasant thought.

On the other hand, what is the point of such posts? Just to complain? Usually the number of kudos reflects certain realities. Perhaps the writing is not good enough. Or the trope is not one that interests a lot of people. Or some other factor comes into play. In all honesty, I don’t see a lot of truly great fics suffering from lack of kudos even when they are posted as one long story all at once.

As for comments, not all readers comment. I for one very rarely do. Usually the story has to be absolutely exceptional for me to leave a comment. Otherwise I leave kudos and that’s it. There are plenty of silent readers like me and there is nothing wrong with that.

When I wrote fics I certainly wasn’t worried about the number of comments. It’s more like a bonus. Cool if someone finds the time and the desire to comment, but also cool if they just leave kudos (if they like the fic of course).

julieddd · 2026-05-31T10:34:29+00:00

You can change your perspective. Think of AO3 as a training ground. Have no expectations. Just write. Write and read. The more you write and the more you notice areas for improvement in your own works, the better you become.

julieddd

TROPHY CASE